The Ryukyu Golden Kings are one of the premier teams in the B.League, whose EASL involvement and several new arenas are helping raise its overall profile.
Heading into the next-to-last week of the B.League season, the Chiba Jets (34-22 record) have the most wins among the wild-card contenders.
Nearly one-third of the way through the B.League season, the title-chasing Kawasaki Brave Thunders lead the 24-team circuit in steals.
Only the Chiba Jets, Alvark Tokyo, Ryukyu Golden Kings and Yokohama B-Corsairs remain in the B.League title chase as the penultimate playoff weekend looms.
Headlined by the Jets, who set a B.League record with 53 regular-season wins, the quest for the 2022-23 championship tips off with four quarterfinal matchups.
The Nagoya Diamond Dolphins recorded the first victory of the 60-game B.League season, a 101-86 triumph over the SeaHorses Mikawa.
After their 4-1 win over Paraguay, the Samurai Blue shifted their focus to an encounter with world No. 1 Brazil.
Ryukyu is making its first appearance in the circuit’s championship series, while Utsunomiya is back for the third time in six years.
Ryukyu ended Shimane’s title hopes on the final play of their semifinal series, and Utsunomiya swept Kawasaki in the other series.
In the next postseason round, the Brave Thunders play host to the Brex and the Golden Kings face the visiting Susanoo Magic.
The Brave Thunders rout the Alvark Tokyo for their fifth straight victory heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
The reigning Masters champion said he expects to be able to participate in the upcoming major in Augusta, Georgia.